Ogof Gofan

track and a casual glance at its length and depth would leave anyone singularly unimpressed. But this is somewhere very special and provides a highly memorable day’s activity.

Gofan lies halfway down spectacular limestone cliffs in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. It is also situated in an active military firing range! Permissions are necessary prior to visiting and it’s a fascinating walk across the range to Saddle Head. Atlantic rollers batter the rocks far below and just everything about this place is breathtakingly invigorating. As ropes are set, climbers look on bemused with little or no inkling of the wonders lying out of sight beneath ground level.

Finding the abseil point is the first challenge as the entrance cannot be seen from above. The rocks are razor sharp and you really wouldn’t want to drop anything. Once into the narrow, slippery cleft, a crawl leads to a wonderful oval window overlooking the sea. After this, a squeeze leads to a further low section and then … you enter one of the finest speleological caverns in the UK. The chamber is adorned with flowstone of all sorts on every side, and against the far wall lies a small and beautiful clear green ‘lake’ which looks like a magical wishing well.

There is more beyond, and everyone who has been to Ogof Gofan will confirm that a trip into this cave is a glorious day out.